The present invention relates to a male pot for cacao and oil seed presses.
As is known, hydraulic presses for pressing a mass of cacao and oil seed conventionally comprise a plurality of pressing chambers therethrough the material to be pressed is caused to pass by several systems, such as pressure and gravity.
The pressing chambers are formed by coupling male elements, the so-called male pots, and female elements, the so-called pots.
On the two sides of the male element there are provided, in all of the existing presses, two replaceable disc elements which are called "filter bearing plates" and support filtering cloth elements.
The filtering cloth elements, depending on the press type, can be two or three and operate to filter the cacao butter or oil from the solid part.
This operation is performed by applying to the cloth elements a high pressure, aiding the separation of the liquid material from the solid material.
The hydraulic press male pots of prior presses there support two filtering plates, which can be connected to the male pot by different means, depending on the press type.
Conventionally used connection systems comprise a threaded central pin, where the plate is threaded to the male pot, or three pins which are bayonet coupled on the male pot, or a central pin, which is affixed on the male pot by a cross screw transversely extending with respect to the male pot.
Said plates are connected to the press male pot in order to allow it to be easily disassembled and reassembled.
This latter operation, in particular, is very difficult, since on the plates there are mounted the filtering cloth elements which must be of an interexchangeable type.
The filtering cloth elements comprise a fine filtering cloth, provided for directly contacting the product to be pressed, and which is applied on the press plates, as well as a supporting cloth arranged under the fine cloth for supporting the latter.
In particular, in prior presses, the fine cloth is affixed to the plate, whereas the supporting cloth is held on the plate through the fine cloth.
Because of this arrangement, it is necessary to mount the cloth elements on the plate held in a horizontal position, that is in a horizontal plane.
Moreover, the plates must be frequently disassembled from and applied again to the male pot of the press for replacing the worn cloth elements and since said plates, which are made of a comparatively high strength material, are frequently deformed under the high operating pressures.
In fact, the outer periphery of a plate, which slides inside the female portion or pot, tends to seize because of its small contact surface in which is formed a recess for engaging the sealing gasket of the pressing chamber, which gasket is usually made of a felt material.
Each filtering plate has an average weight of 30/35 kg and, as it is mounted on the press, it will reach an operating temperature of about 80.degree./90.degree. C.
As it should be easily apparent, the disassembling of the plates from the press and the handling thereof originate great problems both from an accident standpoint, because of the high weight and temperature and from the economic standpoint, since the time required for disassembling said plates is comparatively long and represents a dead time for the press system.
In this connection it should be pointed out that these presses usually comprise 10-12-14 pots, whereas the related male pots, each of which includes two plates, require the use of 20-24-28 plates.
Accordingly, considering that a cacao or oil seed pressing shop is usually provided with two presses, there are necessary many plates, with a consequent high capital investment, also considering the high unit cost of each individual plate.
Moreover, the cacao butter and oil filtered by the filtering cloth elements is caused to pass through a plurality of holes formed through the plates for allowing liquid material to be conveyed into the male pot and then evacuated therefrom.
Because of this reason, the greater is the filtering surface of a plate, the smaller will be the time necessary for said liquid material to pass through said plate to be drained.
Since in prior plates some regions of said plates are occupied by means for connecting the plates to the press, it is not possible to carry out a homogeneous removal of the fat material which, remaining in the solid panel, will represent a loss.